Foundation Repair Clinton

The part of Maryland now known as Clinton has a long history, one which stretches back to just before the Revolutionary War. However, throughout most of that time it was a small crossroads town named Surrattsville. The area didn’t start growing at all until the 1950s, which is when the nearby Andrews Air Force Base started expanding. And even then, thanks to Clinton’s status as an outer-ring suburb of Washington, the population didn’t really explode until very recently.

Since so much of community’s buildings are new construction, there isn’t much call for foundation repair in Clinton. However, “not much” is not the same as “zero,” especially since people occasionally make mistakes.

No Such Thing As Perfect

It’s unfortunate, but it’s true: nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes, even if it’s a job we’ve done a million times or more, even if it’s important to someone to get it right the first time every time. Construction work goes through several inspections to try and catch any mistakes made along the way, but sometimes the cement mix is just off, or it cures wrong, or it’ll include a mineral that causes it to crumble away in less than 50 years.

A housing boom can also cause construction companies to fall back on cheaper methods. These methods are still good enough to last for years and pass building inspections, but they can fail in ways that lead to an earlier than usual foundation repair in Clinton.

For instance, while a basement wall made from poured, solid cement is definitely more stable and will last for a very long time, construction companies sometimes use concrete blocks which they bring to the construction site to create a much cheaper and faster basement. In exchange for this expediency, a concrete block wall is much more likely to start cracking from lateral earth pressure and letting water get in.

How You Can Tell

The warning signs that something is wrong with your basement or foundation aren’t always as clear as a dark water stain on the wall. But if you think your foundation may be settling unevenly, or if you think water is getting into your basement or crawlspace, here are a few ways you can find out for certain:

• Wrinkles and bubbles are showing up in your wallpaper or paint job.
• Cabinets and doors that sometimes open on their own and refuse to shut completely.
• If gaps show up between the wall-to-wall carpet and the corners of the room, it’s a sure sign that the house is moving very slightly in one direction.
• Diagonal cracks start showing up around the window or the doorframe. This is a sign that the wall is beginning to slant in one direction, because the frame is cracking as the drywall tries to slant itself, too.
• The doors and windows aren’t closing properly because they’re running into the jamb. This is closely related to the reason why the diagonal cracks form.

If you start to pick up on these signs, you probably shouldn’t line up the foundation repair in Clinton just yet. You might be wrong, you might not be fixing the real problem, or you might even wind up making things worse. As such, you should contact a contractor in the same field first to get a professional second opinion.

How We Help

If you need foundation repair in Clinton, Baltimore, or beyond, you should contact AA Action Waterproofing. We can help fix any problems you might have with your basement, crawlspace, or foundation. Here are a few simple steps about how the process works:

• Step 1: Identify the actual problem.
• Step 2: Improve the building’s waterproofing to keep it safe from water damage.
• Step 3: Repair any cracks, reinforce bent and bowing walls, and level an uneven foundation. If it’s necessary, we can also replace the entire foundation slab.

After that, it’s up to the homeowner to inspect the fixes every so often and to spot other cracks and other problems before they can become bigger.

Our first inspection is free, so don’t be shy about contacting us to see whether you have a problem and how much it might cost you to fix it. And remember, in all the three decades we’ve been in business, AA Action Waterproofing hasn’t come across the basement or foundation yet that we couldn’t help.